Frozen
by Sandylee007
Summary: HUGE SPOILERS TO CURRENT MANGA CHAPTERS! Because until the day he died, Itachi was ready to do absolutely anything for his brother. Even if Sasuke would never know. My small tribute to Itachi's sacrifice. NO INCEST!


" It's alright", he murmured, stroking the silken locks of his younger brother, who was currently crying to his chest

A/N: This is something I just had write after reading the two latest mange-chapters. This has been written in a extreme whirr of emotions, which can be either a good or a VERY bad thing. (winces)

I really, really hope you'll like!

**THIS STORY INCLUDES NO INCEST!** All love mentioned brotherly.

**DISCLAIMER**: I most definitely don't own Naruto, nor "Frozen" from Within Temptation. So… Me no own, you know sue. Pwease?

* * *

_**Frozen**_

* * *

/ _**I can't feel my senses  
I just feel the cold  
All colours seem to fade away  
I can't reach my soul**_ /

* * *

Ten-years-old Itachi wasn't entirely sure what instinct it was that woke him up in the middle of a night. His feet, however, seemed to know what they were doing perfectly as he slipped out of his bed without a sound, then made his way to his brother's room.

His heart made a painful twinge as he found Sasuke tossing and turning in his bed, noticed the tears rolling as well as the drops of cold sweat on his brother's forehead.

Giving a deep sigh, he walked up to the bed, on his way turning on a night lamp. Why had their father not put it on? " Sasuke, wake up", he called out in a soft voice, stroking his trembling brother's hair. There was no reaction. " Wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Suddenly, so fast it caught him off guard, the younger one bounced into a sitting position, wrapping a pair of small arms around him so tightly it seized his breath. The tiny figure was trembling with hysterical sobs. " I – Itachi, they… They were all… You were…"

His eyes darkened before he closed them, pulling his brother close. " Sasuke…"

Sasuke was still sobbing, though obviously calming down. " Brother, don't… Don't let them hurt me, please… Don't let them…" Words disappeared.

" It's alright", he murmured, stroking the silken locks of his younger brother, who was still crying to his chest. " Everything's going to be alright."

Sasuke's eyes were still filled with tears as they found his. " Promise?"

He managed a small, somewhat wry smile. " Whatever it takes, I promise I'll never let anyone hurt you."

Already then, a part of him knew those words were to seal his fate.

* * *

/ _**I would stop running  
If I knew there was a chance  
It tears me apart to sacrifice it all  
But I'm forced to let go**_ /

* * *

When Itachi entered the Hokage's office that evening, he already knew to expect something exceptional. There was an ominous tingle on his skin as he faced the man, as well as the three other people in the room. They all had grim expressions upon their faces.

The mission he was given went beyond his darkest nightmares.

" They're planning on having an open war against Konoha, Itachi. They've become too strong, too dangerous."

He listened soundlessly, barely breathing, not finding his voice to utter even a single word.

" You must destroy them, whatever measures required, before they tear down the entire Shinobi world." It was spoken in a dark, hollow voice. " No one will ever know about this mission, no one will ever learn this secret."

He felt like he'd fallen into an endless dark hole. He still couldn't move, couldn't do a thing.

They… They were expecting him to kill his own family, they…!

" You'd become a sacrifice for everyone", one of the three spoke out, eyes filled with something strange he'd never seen before. " We understand how awfully lot we're asking of you. That's why you have twenty-four hours to decide whether you accept this mission or not."

As he left, he was sure he'd decline. But just before he was out of the door, the Hokage said something that changed the history of Konoha forever. " Before you make up your mind, you should know… They'll need Sasuke to achieve their goal. I have no doubt in my mind they wouldn't be prepared to even kill him."

That night, he stood by the doorway of Sasuke's room, watching as his brother slept peacefully. His black eyes darkened still, almost like something had disappeared from behind them.

He'd made his decision.

* * *

/ _**Tell me I'm frozen  
But what can I do?  
Can't tell the reasons  
I did it for you**_

_**When lies turn into truth  
I sacrifice for you  
You say that I am frozen  
But what can I do?**_ /

* * *

And so, inevitably, came the time to destroy one of the biggest threats Konoha had ever come to face.

Standing right next to his parents' corpses with his eyes closed, Itachi thought it couldn't possibly get any worse.

For once in his life, he was mistaken. Because just as he was fighting with himself to remain at least somewhat composed, Sasuke came home.

It hurt him almost more than he could bear to watch the look of utter grief, shock and slowly growing rage upon Sasuke's face. The tears rolling in a constant river definitely didn't make it any easier. " Why did you…? Why did you do it?"

His expression never changed or even wavered. By then, he was feeling too much for any of it to really register. " To test my capacity."

As he tore Sasuke apart that night – smashed his little brother's innocence until there was nothing left – he prayed from the bottom of his heart that it wouldn't all be in vain, that his sacrifice would eventually pay off. That one day, Sasuke would be strong enough to complete the mission he'd given him and destroy what he couldn't.

As he took a final glance towards his unconscious brother, there was no apology in his eyes.

There was no forgiveness or salvation for him anymore.

An hour later, he could feel Madara's eyes on him as he entered a dark forest. He was glad there was no light. " It's been done", he announced.

* * *

/ _**I can feel your sorrow  
(I sacrifice)  
You won't forgive me **__**But I know you'll be alright **__**It tears me apart that you will never know  
But I have to let go**_ /

* * *

Itachi had known to expect the day when he'd finally meet Sasuke again. But he would've never anticipated seeing the hatred in his brother's eyes would hurt as much as it did.

Using all his skill and self-control, he managed to keep his face expressionless as Sasuke begun to storm towards him. " Die!"

A part of him wished he could've. Death would've been no less than what he deserved. But he couldn't, not yet.

Sasuke wasn't strong enough, didn't know how to control the strength he had. He couldn't leave his little brother just yet.

And that's why he hurt some more, shattered a little bit more of what he'd left intact the previous time around.

He didn't think any pain Sasuke was feeling at the moment could've matched with the one blazing underneath his ribcage as he whispered into his brother's ear, giving the final, finishing blow.

_Don't forgive me_, his mind whispered as he activated his Sharingan. _Don't ever forget this, because you need to become strong. You have to survive._

As he caught one more glimpse from Sasuke's eyes just before they dulled, he found the ray of hope he'd been looking for.

The final seed of hatred had been planted.

No matter how much it'd hurt them both, Sasuke would become strong enough.

* * *

/ _**Tell me I'm frozen  
But what can I do?  
Can't tell the reasons  
I did it for you  
When lies turn into truth  
I sacrifice for you  
You say that I am frozen  
But what can I do?**_ /

* * *

Standing on a cliff, Itachi allowed his eyes to wander on the landscape spreading below him, although he couldn't really see much anymore.

He and Kisame had spent a week on a mission in this place. Each day he could see just a little bit less trees, a little bit less water and small houses. Just a little bit less future.

He frowned, feeling very cold all of a sudden although it was summer.

Fortunately, his ears worked well despite his fading sight. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. " Pretty, isn't it?" Kisame's familiar voice stated from beside him.

He fought the urge to chuckle darkly. _I most likely would be, if I'd be able to see it properly._ " Hn."

Although he still didn't look, he could feel Kisame's eyes observing him. " You've been sitting out here for hours. Is something bothering you?"

For a moment, he humoured himself with imagining answering truthfully. But, of course, with years of experience he didn't have such a slip-up. " No." With much more effort than he'd expected it to require, he pushed himself up. " We should get going. We have a mission to complete."

Kisame's posture was filled with distrust, but in the end the man nodded slowly. " Okay then."  
As they left, he couldn't resist glancing over his shoulder for one last time. Sun was already setting.

His eyes darkened.

_You'll better hurry up, Sasuke._ After a moment, a somewhat sad tiny smile came. _I want to be able to see the day when you finally fulfil your goal._

* * *

/ _**Everything will slip away  
Shattered pieces will remain  
When memories fade into emptiness  
Only time will tell its tale  
If it all has been in vain**_ /

* * *

There was one more time after that when Itachi found himself doubting Sasuke's strength.

Sasuke was dead, Pein had announced without a slightest change in his expression. Deidara had managed to kill him.

It was all over.

He was ridiculously grateful for the rain that pored over as he finally – first time in so many years – allowed his emotions to show.

He barely registered Kisame's presence, let alone the words the other formed. " You'll catch a cold if you stay out too long."

Itachi's eyes were locked to the sky.

He remembered only one night when it'd been as dark…

He heard only vaguely when Kisame went on. " It's certainly a shame about your little brother. You're now the sole member of the Uchiha clan."

He almost opened his mouth – having no clue of what he was about to say – when there was suddenly a feathery, warm breath amongst the icy raindrops. And his chest filled with warmth instead of ice once more.

All those sacrifices, all the pain… It hadn't been in vain, he knew. For Sasuke was still alive, only one step away.

There was still hope.

The rain stopped.

* * *

/ _**I can't feel my senses  
I just feel the cold**_ /

* * *

Only a few days after that, Itachi became plagued by extremely high fever.

Kisame had a deep frown upon his face as he stroked the young Uchiha's face with a cold clothe, feeling Itachi's burning hotness even through the fabric. He wished he could've asked for someone with more medical skills to check up on the raven, but during a lucid moment Itachi had demanded quite forcefully that no one was to be asked there – no one else needed to know about the teen's weakened state. And so all Kisame could do was watch helplessly as the other shuddered under the grips of sky-high fever.

He was almost startled when Itachi's lips parted suddenly. After a moment, a weakest of words carried into his carefully trained ears. " S – Sasuke…"

He swallowed thickly and hesitated for a moment before speaking. " No, it's me. Your fever is even higher than before. You should try to rest."

Hard as he tried, he didn't quite manage to convince himself that the soul tear which rolled to Itachi's cheek would've been that of pain. " Please forgive me…"

He blinked uncharacteristically with stun, the cold clothe nearly slipping from his hold.

No matter how much Kisame would've wanted to, he never asked Itachi for an explanation to that moment of weakness or those strange words, because he knew he would've never been granted the truth.

Only a little bit later, the truth vanished with Itachi.

* * *

/ _**Frozen  
But what can I do?  
Frozen**_ /

* * *

When Itachi faced Sasuke again, he knew the encounter would be his last.

His little brother had become strong, even stronger than he'd ever dared to imagine. He could sense it was all about to come to an end.

He knew his brother. Of course he wasn't mistaken.

With the very last of his strength, he outstretched his fingers towards his younger brother, who tensed up completely immediately, such wild terror in those eyes it tore his heart.

By the time he finally touched Sasuke's pale skin, his frail heartbeat was only a breath from stopping. He could feel strength slipping from him as he strained his concentration to extreme, doing the last thing he still could for his brother.

His last favour. His last gift.

/ _" Why did you…? Why did you do it?"_ /

Only pain and lack of strength kept him from smiling just a little.

_Because I love you._

With that final, all consuming thought everything exploded into a blinding whiteness.

* * *

/ _**Tell me I'm frozen  
But what can I do?  
Can't tell the reasons  
I did it for you**_

_**When lies turn into truth  
I sacrifice for you  
You say that I am frozen**_ /

* * *

It wasn't until later Sasuke finally learned the full truth.

" He did it to protect you."

There was no lie in Madara's voice.

" You need to know about him… This man who risked everything to protect the Shinobi world… The Leaf Village… And most of all, his little brother. You need to know about Uchiha Itachi's life."

* * *

/ _**Frozen**_ /

* * *

_**Owari.**_

* * *

A/N: Well that was a rather odd little thing.

Please do review and let me know what you thought, yeah?

Take care!


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